Comments Off on Lyft launches self-driving cars on the Las Vegas strip

For the first time ever, after you’re done partying on the strip, you’ll be able to hail an autonomous ride with Lyft. The ride sharing company is bringing thirty self-driving cars to the streets of Las Vegas in partnership with developer Aptiv . The new initiative will offer the public the option of hailing a self-driving car using Lyft’s app. For those concerned about the interaction between robot and human drivers, trials show that the Aptiv-designed vehicles are more than capable of maneuvering the often chaotic traffic of Las Vegas. This move follows Lyft’s test run of its self-driving cars at the Computer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas earlier this year, which was limited to a relatively small number of people. Lyft’s Vegas self-driving fleet will most likely consist of Aptiv-augmented BMWs that use nine LiDARs , 10 radars, a trifocal camera, vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, and advanced GPS to safely navigate the roads. However, the vehicles will be limited to specific routes on which they may drive, at least initially. Each vehicle will also be operated by highly-trained safety drivers. More testing and data collection is needed before Lyft, or any other company, can operate a fully functional self-driving vehicle system on public roads. Related: Waymo adds 20,000 Jaguar electric SUVs to its self-driving car service Aptiv and Lyft have agreed to a multiyear collaboration, which both companies agree is a major step forward for their businesses. “With Aptiv’s autonomous driving technology deployed throughout Las Vegas and broadly accessible through the Lyft app, a wide range of consumers will be able to share the experience of autonomous vehicles in a complex urban environment,” said Aptiv president and CEO Kevin Clark in a statement . “More importantly, the resulting knowledge and data will allow us to further refine our autonomous driving capabilities and strengthen our portfolio of industry-leading active safety solutions.” Via Engadget Images via Lyft and John F. Martin /Aptiv

Comments Off on This breathtaking Tulum art gallery was created by Peggy Guggenheim’s great-grandson

Much like the Guggenheim Museums around the world, a new art gallery founded by the great-grandson of Peggy Guggenheim is a true architectural showstopper. Santiago Rumney Guggenheim commissioned designer Jorge Eduardo Neira Sterkel to create IK LAB , a stunning arts gallery that opened late last month in Tulum, Mexico. Topped with a curved timber canopy, the nature-inspired space is located within the eco-friendly Azulik resort. Upon entering, visitors are asked to slip off their shoes and “to interact with the floor as a living organism,” made from woven jungle vines that seamlessly flow into walls and ceilings made with smooth curved concrete and locally sourced wood. No trees were cut in the process of building and the organic structure is lifted off the ground to minimize site impact. Natural light filters into the building through spaced-out timber elements and large openings in the walls reinforced by transparent fiberglass . In addition to framed views of the jungle outside, plants grow inside the art gallery as well. Related: World’s first porcelain courtyard opens at London’s V&A Museum “This majestic space redefines the traditional white-cube, gallery-visiting experience, instead fortifying the organic relationship between art and its physical surroundings,” IK LAB said in a statement. The inaugural exhibition, curated by Santiago R. Guggenheim, is titled “Alignments.” It features works by Tatiana Trouvé, Artur Lescher and Margo Trushina. + IK LAB Via Dezeen Images by Fernando Artigas

Comments Off on CO2 levels averaged above 410 ppm ‘for the first time in recorded history’ in April

Just over a year ago, atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels hit 410 parts per million (ppm) for the first time in millions of years. And we just hit another worrying threshold in April: levels averaged higher than 410 ppm throughout the whole month for the first time. Geochemist Ralph Keeling said , “We keep burning fossil fuels . Carbon dioxide keeps building up in the air. It’s essentially as simple as that.” The Keeling Curve , a daily record of atmospheric CO2 levels made at the Mauna Loa Observatory, started in 1958. Back then measurements were around 315 ppm. 60 years later, we’ve passed the 410 ppm threshold, and in April, the average concentration was 410.31 ppm. According to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, “This marks the first time in the history of the Mauna Loa record that a monthly average has exceeded 410 ppm.” Today marks the 60th anniversary of the #KeelingCurve , a daily record of carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. This record is considered the foundation of modern climate change research. pic.twitter.com/XJgGIj8Z1S — Scripps Oceanography (@Scripps_Ocean) March 29, 2018 Related: CO2 levels just reached 410 ppm — the highest in millions of years The Washington Post pointed out CO2 levels have hit 400 ppm in the past — such as over three million years ago in the mid-Pliocene warm period. But the Pliocene level “was sustained over long periods of time, whereas today the global CO2 concentration is increasing rapidly,” according to scientists in the Fourth National Climate Assessment, Volume 1 , a 2017 federal report. Before the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, CO2 levels fluctuated over thousands of years, but according to the institution, never exceeded 300 ppm once in the past 800,000 years. Around 1880, CO2 levels were about 280 ppm. Today, they’re around 46 percent higher. Climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe said about the milestone on Twitter , “It’s as if we discovered that something we eat every day is causing our body to run a fever and develop all kinds of harmful symptoms — and instead of cutting back, we right keep on eating it, more and more. If that isn’t alarming, I don’t know what is.” + Scripps Institution of Oceanography Via The Washington Post Images via Devin McGloin on Unsplash and Nik Shuliahin on Unsplash

If you use ride-sharing services but still worry about their impact on the environment, Lyft has got you covered. The company has just announced that it will invest millions of dollars to offset its carbon emissions. Co-founders John Zimmer and Logan Green said in a blog post that the ridesharing company will become “one of the world’s largest voluntary purchasers of carbon offsets” as they make all their trips carbon neutral from now on. According to Zimmer and Green, while all cars will be cleanly powered at some point in the future, climate change isn’t waiting, so they’re taking action. Lyft is partnering with 3Degrees to offset carbon emissions from their rides around the world. Zimmer and Green said, “The stark reality is that transportation is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions. As a growing part of the transportation ecosystem, we are holding ourselves accountable to being part of the solution.” Related: VW unveils fully electric six-seater specifically for ridesharing Lyft rides will be carbon neutral due to “the direct funding of emission mitigation efforts, including the reduction of emissions in the automotive manufacturing process, renewable energy programs, forestry projects, and the capture of emissions from landfills.” These projects will be based in the United States. 3Degrees will oversee “the independent verification of all projects according to rigorous third-party standards” and ensure the company is “only supporting emission reductions that are new and would not have happened but for Lyft’s investment.” The company offered nearly 50 million rides last month. Green and Zimmer said they feel responsible for Lyft’s impact on the Earth, and they joined the We Are Still In movement spearheaded by former New York City mayor and philanthropist Michael Bloomberg to show support for the Paris Agreement . Lyft expects to offset more than one million metric tons of carbon in the first year — the equivalent of taking hundreds of thousands of vehicles off the streets or planting tens of millions of trees . The co-founders said this isn’t their full solution to the issue of climate change, but it is one step forward. + All Lyft Rides Are Now Carbon Neutral Images via Lyft

Comments Off on IDEO wants to turn your car into a small-scale public transportation option

A new car-sharing vision may help ease congestion in metropolitan areas lacking mass transportation options. Cities like New York City and London have a decent public transportation system, but if you’ve ever tried to commute in a city like Los Angeles , you probably pray for a better way. California’s Ideo, a design company, offers one such alternative. Their latest concept looks past major infrastructure programs to an expanded view of the automobile sharing model as a means of reducing all of the negative affects of too many cars on the roads. Rather than focus on large public transit programs, IDEO’s latest project matches the current focus on making driving not only easier, but safer. And then expands on that concept by showcasing how an autonomous car can not only bring improvements to its owner’s life, but also help other community members get from point a to b and even raise a few bucks. Related: VW unveils the all-electric autonomous Microbus of the future The owner of the autonomous vehicle can choose to ride solo or even make a few extra dollars by picking up other passengers along the way – which is probably something some Uber and Lyft drivers already do today. Taking communal sharing one step further, the autonomous vehicle can also be rented out like a Zipcar to other people; the renters can even reduce the cost of the rental by agreeing to run errands for the owner of the car. Imagine that you’re renting the car to go on a grocery run, but while you’re there you pick up a few groceries for the car’s owner as well, which would lower the overall cost of the rental. Today car’s generally only serves their owners and the owner’s contacts, but IDEO’s concept would change that by making the car a public resource, similar to a bus or train but on a much smaller scale. Riders can use an app to book a ride, like with UberPOOL. Another big difference between this and other car-sharing programs comes down to a few simple settings that make the environment a bit more discrete. + IDEO All images @IDEO

Comments Off on GM exec confirms plans to launch a self-driving Chevy Bolt EV with Lyft

A General Motors executive just confirmed that the automaker is working on an autonomous version of the upcoming Chevy Bolt EV . The self-driving Bolt will be the automaker’s first fully autonomous vehicle , and it will be available to Lyft drivers as part of the automaker’s $500 billion investment in the ride-sharing company. Pam Fletcher, executive chief engineer of autonomous tech at GM , recently revealed to Tech Insider that the autonomous Chevy Bolt will be here in the near future. “We have not made that announcement yet, but what I would say is this is all coming much faster than people anticipate, so I’ll say that much. We have been transparent about that,” Fletcher stated. Related: Chevy unveils first pre-production Bolt EV ahead of Tesla’s Model 3 debut While GM has yet to reveal an expected arrival date of the autonomous Chevy Bolt EV , prototypes of the self-driving Bolt are currently being driven around San Francisco by Cruise Automation – the self-driving car startup that GM bought earlier this year. It’s being reported that GM and Lyft could start testing autonomous vehicles on public roads by the end of the year. The 2017 Chevy Bolt with its 200-mile driving range is expected to enter production by the end of the year. “What I would say is this car is a big part of a transformation of transportation and mobility,” GM’s Pam Fletcher concluded about the future of the Chevy Bolt. + General Motors Via Tech Insider All images @ Cruise Automation and General Motors

Comments Off on GM invests $500 million in Lyft to create a network of autonomous vehicles

The battle between major ride sharing rivals, Uber and Lyft is about to get even hotter, thanks to General Motors. GM has announced a new alliance with Lyft to create an integrated network of on-demand autonomous vehicles in the U.S. GM is planning to invest $500 million in the ride sharing service as part of a bet on a future where mobility is increasingly less focused on traditional car ownership. Read the rest of GM invests $500 million in Lyft to create a network of autonomous vehicles

Google is reportedly working on a plan to expand its self-driving car fleet, which will involve turning its self-driving car division into a dedicated company. The standalone company would commercialize the project and give Google a driverless rival to ride-sharing services, like Uber and Lyft. Read the rest of Google’s self-driving car could rival Uber and Lyft